NBS: China's raw coal production drops 1.7% YoY in May

China's raw coal output reached 397.22 million tonnes in May, down 1.7% from the previous year, according to the latest release by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published on Tuesday. Almost certainly one of the causes of the decline was last month's mine explosion in North China's Shanxi province and the subsequent mine-safety campaign that continues to disrupt production, Mysteel Global notes.

As reported, the deadly May 22 mine explosion in Qinyuan county, Shanxi, caused 82 casualties and triggered a sweeping campaign of mine inspections throughout several major coal producing regions of the country where mining was suspended for safety checks. By June 15, operations at a total of 148 coking coal